Under cabinet lighting has previously been provided by a variety of manufactures. Such lighting units typically consist 0f relatively thin fixtures hard wired together and to a source of electrical current. That is, they are typically directly wired to the electrical current supply in a home, building or the like through conventional wiring arrangements. Such systems require installation services of a licensed electrician and are time consuming and relatively expensive to install.
While some attempts have been made to reduce the amount of labor for the installation processes of conventional under cabinet light systems, such attempts have not been entirely satisfactory. For example, Salestrom et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,841, disclose a modular lighting system in which under cabinet type lighting is provided in small individual modular units that plug directly to one another. However, these units use exposed bulbs and, more importantly, use exposed electrical plugs at their ends. These, therefore, represent an electrical hazard to the user and installer. They can not be installed, removed or rearranged with the units connected to the power supply.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modular lighting system which is simple in construction and which can be easily installed even by unskilled workers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighting system in which a plurality of light modules can be connected together safely in end to end relationship in order to provide varying lengths for the overall lighting arrangement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a modular lighting system which allows use of both fluorescent and halogen light fixtures in the same system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modular lighting system which is relatively simply to install.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a modular under cabinet lighting system which is relatively simple to manufacture, easy to service, and to install.